The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary within the Catholic Church. As a lay Dominican, I always look forward to the opportunity to promote the Rosary, a prayer that Saint Dominic received based on the inspiration of Christ's Mother. New from Franciscan Media / Servant Books is Johnnette Benkovic and Thomas Sullivan's The Rosary: Your Weapon for Spiritual Warfare.
Men of Grace: Warriors for the Kingdom, you MUST all watch this and then read "Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, my Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix" by Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix. It's excellent!
After you watch this, download this document and read it....
For many years now I have been speaking about the Kingdom of God on earth and how it is that the Church embodies all the elements of this Kingdom (King-Jesus, Queen Mother-Mary, Prime-Minister-The Pope, Cabinet Members-The Bishops, Commissioned Officers-The Priests, and Knights-Those Baptized and Confirmed.
The Church teaches us that the Christian life on earth is a warfare. And I thought I would share just a small quote from the Catechism of the Council of Trent on Baptism as Enlistment and Confirmation as Strengthening for battle.
"In Baptism man is enlisted into the service, in Confirmation he is equipped for battle; at the baptismal font the Holy Ghost imparts fullness to accomplish innocence, but in Confirmation he ministers perfection to grace; in Baptism we are regenerated unto life, after Baptism we are fortified for the combat; in Baptism we are cleansed, after Baptism we are strengthened; regeneration of itself saves those who receive Baptism in time of peace, Confirmation arms and makes ready for conflicts.
These are truths not only already recorded by other Councils, but specially defined by the holy Council of Trent; so that we are therefore no longer at liberty not only to think otherwise, but even to entertain the least doubt concerning them."
So fellow Warriors for the Kingdom, lets start examining what it is we are part of so we can put into practice the rules of engagement that came with our enlistment into the Kingdom of God. For we are all "Called to Knighthood".
Host Doug Keck welcomes Tom Sullivan to discuss his book "Called to Knighthood: The Sacrament of Confirmation in the Kingdom Family of God" and what it means to be a Knight of Christ through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
I wanted to follow up on my last post about the "Apostolic Pardon" and go into a bit more depth on just exactly what an indulgence is. We use it in everyday life in our own society and nobody seems to have a problem with it. As a matter of fact, many people who find themselves in prison, appeal for mercy and an indulgence (pardon) of some sort.
Months before my father died last year, I explained to him this amazing gift of the "Apostolic Pardon" and told him to desire it when death approaches even if a priest did not arrive in time. During his final days on earth, I stood at the end of his hospital bed and reminded him of our conversation. I am so glad I did.
I often tell my boys, "Character is what a man does when he thinks nobody is looking". It is in those moments that the true character of a man is revealed. This story is a perfect example. Click on the image to watch the story...
Almost every organization or group has some kind of a "Code of Conduct". Each branch of the US Military has its version. During my 12 years in the military, our "Code of Conduct" was 2nd nature. It was not exactly military law like the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice), it was a "code" that we would live and many would die by. That Military Code of Conduct looked something like this...
The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary within the Catholic Church. As a lay Dominican, I always look forward to the opportunity to promote the Rosary, a prayer that Saint Dominic received based on the inspiration of Christ's Mother. New from Franciscan Media / Servant Books is Johnnette Benkovic and Thomas Sullivan's The Rosary: Your Weapon for Spiritual Warfare.
